Public Hearing Scheduled for Tenaska Sweetwater Plant

A public hearing has been scheduled for debating whether Abilene should sell water to Tenaska for the proposed Sweetwater Trailblazer plant. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, December 3, 2009 in Abilene.

Tenaska, the independent power producer hoping to build the plant, wants to purchase 2,000 acre-feet of effluent water a year from Abilene, or roughly 1.8 million gallons of water daily, to use for plant operations.

City leaders have scheduled a public hearing Thursday to hear debate on the topic.

Earlier this month, the city’s water utilities director Tommy O’Brien told council members the city has enough water to fulfill the request, even when considering potential city growth.

While getting a water agreement is key for Tenaska, the project is named Trailblazer for good reason — and the Nebraska-based company faces several additional challenges in getting it off the ground.

Read more in the Abilene Reporter.